Kennedy: Frustrated by speculation in University of Maryland football investigation

When I began writing these columns, the previous editor told me that there was one subject that I couldn’t write about. That subject was sports. On this occasion I feel that I must comment on something that has been on the front pages and newscasts as much, if not more, than it has been on the sports pages. I speak of the investigation into and examination of the University of Maryland football program stemming from the very unfortunate and tragic death of player Jordan McNair.

As a loyal alum of the university, a life member of the Alumni Association, and a football season ticket holder for 43 years (until I couldn’t afford the extortion-like requirements of the Terrapin Club to retain my seats), this turn of events and some of the reactions to it upsets me greatly.

As expected there are the usual questions to be answered. How did this happen? Who was responsible? Were the proper protocols followed, and if not, why not? What were all of the contributing factors? Shortly after McNair’s death, the Walters group, an independent agency, was hired to do a thorough investigation of what transpired up to and following McNair’s death. Their report is due out sometime in mid-September. Additionally, the university has put together a committee of some of the best legal minds available along with a former head football coach whose charge is to examine the “culture” of the program. That report should be forthcoming sometime after the initial investigation’s report is released.

Preliminarily, some things have been revealed and some questions answered. Most importantly is the revelation that “best practices” protocols were not followed, and that failure by the training staff most probably led to the player’s death. However, until the final report is released, all other information is strictly speculation and rumor. I find it problematic that there are calls for mass firings of everyone from the student trainers up to and including the university’s president without having all of the facts. If the facts warrant, the whole group should be dismissed, but — and it’s a big but — all of that must wait until the report is released.

There has been much discussion on the various sports media about the “culture” of the football program. I’m of the opinion that the committee that has been formed to study that should interview each player, coach and support staff member individually and in-person to determine if the atmosphere within the program as a whole was, or is, as toxic and out of the accepted norms as has been charged by some.

Another thing that distresses me is that some who are connected to the program in some way, and some who aren’t, are making public statements through the media, social and otherwise, again without all of the facts. I’m reminded of the old adage, “Opinions are like noses, everybody has one.”

I’m just trying to say that we all should wait until all of the facts are revealed before jumping to any conclusions.

On another, more family-oriented sports front, I’ll be off on a bit of a sojourn first to Alabama where I’ll hook up with my daughter and grandson for a trip to Canada. My grandson, the hockey goalie, has been recruited and accepted the extraordinary opportunity to play junior hockey for the Essa Stallions of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. By accepting this opportunity he will be living for the next seven months with a host family in Essa, Ontario, while playing in one of the premier junior leagues in Canada. At 15, he will be the youngest player on the team, which is primarily for players between 16 and 20. He will be doing his high school studies via online classes. To be sure, the whole family is excited and a bit apprehensive about his being away for seven months. Including my grandson, there will be three Americans on the team. Oddly, all three are from below the Mason-Dixon Line: one from Virginia, one from Tennessee, and my grandson from Alabama.